Denise Drennan, a Talent Acquisition & Recruitment Partner for NSW Health, and Alex O’Mahoney, a carpenter, celebrated their May wedding at Sneem Hotel, surrounded by family and friends who travelled from Ireland, Australia and beyond. The couple first met through their friends Shannon and Jack while studying at Waterford IT. “For the first year or so, Alex and I were just good friends before things eventually turned into something more,” Denise says. Eleven years later, the pair returned to Ireland to celebrate their wedding in the beautiful Kerry village of Sneem, with Dylan Clifford Photography capturing the day.
Alex proposed beneath Sydney’s Harbour Bridge, with the Opera House providing the backdrop. He had organised a picnic complete with champagne and rose petals, although Denise had a feeling something was up when he announced he had plans for the day. “I had a little feeling that he might be planning to propose, but after almost nine years together at that stage, I didn’t want to get my hopes up in case I was completely wrong!” Thankfully, her instincts were right.
Denise kept her beauty routine simple in the lead-up to the wedding, concentrating on healthy, glowing skin rather than making dramatic changes. She introduced monthly microneedling sessions about a year before the wedding, along with a few glow peels, and made SPF a daily essential. A Hydrafacial in the week before the wedding left her skin feeling fresh and hydrated, while the couple chose their wedding scents together at Sydney Airport on their journey home to Ireland. Denise wore J’adore by Dior.
Finding the dress was less straightforward. After visiting several boutiques in Australia, Denise found herself torn between different dresses and even considered having a custom gown created by combining the top of one design with the skirt of another. “I ended up having a last-minute panic and decided to visit one more store before making a decision, and I’m so glad I did!” That final appointment turned out to be the one, with Denise knowing immediately when she tried on her dress.
Alex had always pictured himself and his groomsmen in tuxedos, but wanted his own look to stand apart while keeping the classic feel. He initially ruled out a velvet jacket as he felt it had become too popular, but changed his mind when he found a suit he loved. It gave him the distinction he wanted while still fitting perfectly with the timeless black-tie style.
Denise chose her sister Aoife as Maid of Honour, alongside her cousin Kate and college friends Shannon, Denise and Karen as her bridesmaids. She wanted everyone in the same dress and found their gowns from American bridal website Dessy. The olive green dresses could be worn in two ways, with the girls wearing them on the shoulders for the ceremony before changing the look for the celebrations afterwards. “Most importantly, they all looked amazing and felt comfortable.”
The couple chose a church ceremony because they wanted a traditional Irish wedding, despite the added complications of organising everything from Australia. Finding a priest, completing an appropriate marriage preparation course and dealing with the relevant paperwork from overseas all required plenty of planning and support from their families back home. On the day, Fr. Liam helped put everyone at ease with a personal ceremony filled with plenty of jokes. “It felt warm, relaxed and incredibly personal.”
Living abroad meant that Denise and Alex always knew they wanted to marry in Ireland, giving family and friends the chance to celebrate with them. They considered venues in Kilkenny and Killarney before visiting Sneem, a village Denise had never been to and somewhere Alex remembered fondly from a wedding he had attended years earlier. The views over the mountains from the back of the hotel immediately sold them on the location.
Sneem Hotel also gave the couple the chance to turn their wedding into a full weekend celebration, with guests travelling from across Ireland and around the world. “We also loved the idea that, because Sneem is such a small village, our guests would all be staying in the same place and could spend the entire weekend together.” The couple were also incredibly lucky with the weather, allowing everyone to enjoy the scenery and the village at its best.
Planning from Australia could have been stressful, but the couple praised Louise (Sneem Hotel's in-house coordinator) for making the process feel easy, particularly when their reception music was cancelled just days before the wedding. She stepped in to find a replacement, while guests repeatedly praised the hotel team’s warmth, food, and attention to detail. “We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better venue. Sneem Hotel exceeded all of our expectations and gave us the wedding weekend we had always dreamed of.”
The Pearls Party Band were another decision made from afar, with the couple relying on social media videos to get a feel for their style before booking them. Their leap of faith paid off, with the dancefloor packed from the first song to the last. A DJ and sax player then took over, keeping the party going late into the night. One of the biggest surprises came after dinner, when an entertainer dressed as a Garda arrived, appeared to arrest one of the groomsmen, and then launched into a medley of songs. “Before we knew it, everyone was up on their chairs and doing a conga around the room!” It gave the evening a second wind after dinner and became one of the day's highlights, with Dylan and Daragh capturing footage of the whole thing.
If there was one thing Denise would change, it would be the amount of time spent worrying about the tiny details beforehand. “Once the day arrives, you’re surrounded by the people you love, and you’re far too busy enjoying every moment to notice the little things you were stressing about for months beforehand.”
- Gráinne